Conclusion: The Buffyverse exists in a fantasy world.
This was written for penny_lane_42 who needed a non-S7-spoilery defense of Spike in relation to the AR. And I think she and I share the same basic opinion of the AR, so I hope this is sufficient. Most of these points are conclusions I've come to after extensive pondering and discussion. The vast majority of the discussion has taken place in flocked posts, though.
I would prefer this not be linked to by any comms or link round-up posts. I don't feel up to hosting a fandom-wide discussion on the topic at this time. Individual recs to friends are fine, though.
As a note to those not in the know, I'm an ardent feminist and very vocal about my anti-rape stance. Yes, these views were difficult to reconcile with my love for Spike. And I'm still of the opinion that the writers made an error of judgment in including an attempted rape scene because of the larger cultural context and issues that go along with it.
Now, onto the post.
1. There is an established mythology on the show concerning the soul, or lack thereof. It is demonstrated that a being without a soul cannot be Good. They may do acts that are good, but they, themselves, lack the moral compass to guide them to being on the straight and narrow. Additionally, the inherent violence and bloodlust of demons is well established in the show. Spike, despite the good he'd done through S5 and S6, is still a soulless demon.
2. Spike has committed far greater crimes than attempted rape in his past. Rape is a serious crime. It is not a "fate worse than death", though. Murder is a greater crime. Torture, in some cases, may be a greater crime. Spree killing for over a hundred years? REALLY BAD.
3. Angelus, in S2, murdered many people while without a soul. He even killed Jenny Calendar, a recurring character and friend to the Scoobies. He is clearly meant to be forgiven by the audience, though, upon receiving his soul again by the end of the season. There exists a precedent in the Buffyverse for the soul being a tool of salvation and forgiveness. After returning in S3, Angel is allowed back into the group, and eventually becomes the protagonist of his own show. This all after he had committed numerous on-screen murders while soulless in S2.
4. There exists two primary contexts for the AR scene:
The first being the one as laid out about above, taking the AR in context of the show and the show's existing mythology. There's also the additional context of Spike's lack of malicious intent in his attack on Buffy, and of his crime being motivated by a mental breakdown of desperation. Within this context, the AR is mitigated by the circumstances surrounding it: the importance of the soul in a being's moral character, the tumultuous Buffy/Spike relationship that had previously taken place, Spike's own confused thinking, his utter anguish at what he had done.
However, any rape scene portrayed in the media also has to be considered in the real world context. This is why I, ultimately, wish the scene had not been included. Because prior relationships, subsequent remorse, avowals that he was just "confused" should not mitigate rape in the real world context.
In the real world, though, there are no people lacking a soul (don't get religious on me. I'm speaking in Buffyverse terms). A person who commits a crime such as the AR has no valid excuse for their actions. They have no means of literally changing themselves to ensure they aren't of the nature to do it again.
In the Buffyverse, Spike does. Getting a soul changes his very nature. We have no real world equivalent to this. We have no comparable action that would morally absolve a person of their past transgressions. We have no distinction between "soulless vampire" and "souled vampire" (because we have no vampires).
That's why the AR is problematic when taken in a real world context. Because in show context basically requires us to judge the AR less harshly than we would an attempted rape in the real world. Spike's subsequent actions in seeking out his soul become worthy of a clean slate, even when this would never take place in the real world.
5. Some people cannot get beyond the real world context. I understand this. It's distressing to see a major character do something like that to the title character. It's powerful, it's horrible, it's truly awful. It shows that Spike was still a soulless demon even after all the progress he'd made. Rape is a serious topic that is much misunderstood in real life. Seeing an attempted rape that is "excused" by the show's surrounding context is very disturbing. In fact, I think it's outright dangerous to have such a depiction on TV.
But the in show context does also need to be recognized, even if it is something that is overshadowed by the real world context for you (and each person is individual in how they'll make this assessment). It is very difficult to judge Spike's actions pre-soul by any real world standards.
Edit (and something I should have clarified earlier): I'm up for debating the real world context on this one (how the scene relates to real world rape and the ramifications therein). I'm not willing to debate the in show context right now, though. If you disagree about something in regards to the in show context, you're free to let me know, and I'll acknowledge you (cause...yeah, that's what I do). But I won't engage in a debate. You guys are more than welcome to discuss it amongst yourselves, though.
I would prefer this not be linked to by any comms or link round-up posts. I don't feel up to hosting a fandom-wide discussion on the topic at this time. Individual recs to friends are fine, though.
As a note to those not in the know, I'm an ardent feminist and very vocal about my anti-rape stance. Yes, these views were difficult to reconcile with my love for Spike. And I'm still of the opinion that the writers made an error of judgment in including an attempted rape scene because of the larger cultural context and issues that go along with it.
Now, onto the post.
1. There is an established mythology on the show concerning the soul, or lack thereof. It is demonstrated that a being without a soul cannot be Good. They may do acts that are good, but they, themselves, lack the moral compass to guide them to being on the straight and narrow. Additionally, the inherent violence and bloodlust of demons is well established in the show. Spike, despite the good he'd done through S5 and S6, is still a soulless demon.
2. Spike has committed far greater crimes than attempted rape in his past. Rape is a serious crime. It is not a "fate worse than death", though. Murder is a greater crime. Torture, in some cases, may be a greater crime. Spree killing for over a hundred years? REALLY BAD.
3. Angelus, in S2, murdered many people while without a soul. He even killed Jenny Calendar, a recurring character and friend to the Scoobies. He is clearly meant to be forgiven by the audience, though, upon receiving his soul again by the end of the season. There exists a precedent in the Buffyverse for the soul being a tool of salvation and forgiveness. After returning in S3, Angel is allowed back into the group, and eventually becomes the protagonist of his own show. This all after he had committed numerous on-screen murders while soulless in S2.
4. There exists two primary contexts for the AR scene:
The first being the one as laid out about above, taking the AR in context of the show and the show's existing mythology. There's also the additional context of Spike's lack of malicious intent in his attack on Buffy, and of his crime being motivated by a mental breakdown of desperation. Within this context, the AR is mitigated by the circumstances surrounding it: the importance of the soul in a being's moral character, the tumultuous Buffy/Spike relationship that had previously taken place, Spike's own confused thinking, his utter anguish at what he had done.
However, any rape scene portrayed in the media also has to be considered in the real world context. This is why I, ultimately, wish the scene had not been included. Because prior relationships, subsequent remorse, avowals that he was just "confused" should not mitigate rape in the real world context.
In the real world, though, there are no people lacking a soul (don't get religious on me. I'm speaking in Buffyverse terms). A person who commits a crime such as the AR has no valid excuse for their actions. They have no means of literally changing themselves to ensure they aren't of the nature to do it again.
In the Buffyverse, Spike does. Getting a soul changes his very nature. We have no real world equivalent to this. We have no comparable action that would morally absolve a person of their past transgressions. We have no distinction between "soulless vampire" and "souled vampire" (because we have no vampires).
That's why the AR is problematic when taken in a real world context. Because in show context basically requires us to judge the AR less harshly than we would an attempted rape in the real world. Spike's subsequent actions in seeking out his soul become worthy of a clean slate, even when this would never take place in the real world.
5. Some people cannot get beyond the real world context. I understand this. It's distressing to see a major character do something like that to the title character. It's powerful, it's horrible, it's truly awful. It shows that Spike was still a soulless demon even after all the progress he'd made. Rape is a serious topic that is much misunderstood in real life. Seeing an attempted rape that is "excused" by the show's surrounding context is very disturbing. In fact, I think it's outright dangerous to have such a depiction on TV.
But the in show context does also need to be recognized, even if it is something that is overshadowed by the real world context for you (and each person is individual in how they'll make this assessment). It is very difficult to judge Spike's actions pre-soul by any real world standards.
Edit (and something I should have clarified earlier): I'm up for debating the real world context on this one (how the scene relates to real world rape and the ramifications therein). I'm not willing to debate the in show context right now, though. If you disagree about something in regards to the in show context, you're free to let me know, and I'll acknowledge you (cause...yeah, that's what I do). But I won't engage in a debate. You guys are more than welcome to discuss it amongst yourselves, though.